Daniel Baratta of Tracy is among 2,250 teenagers spending part of the summer before their senior year at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

Baratta, who attends West High School, applied and was accepted to participate in a six-day seminar June 9 to 14.

In that time, he attended academic workshops, took part in physical conditioning and seamanship training and got a sense of what it would be like to study at the academy.

During sea trials, which Baratta described as a highlight of the experience, he and several group mates paddled a Zodiac boat onto the water, jumped out, helped each other climb back in, and then returned to shore and carried the boat up a slope — all while racing to outdo a rival team.

He’s already thinking about the next step: enrolling at the Naval Academy. Baratta met with a regional Blue & Gold officer this week in Stockton and said he would definitely apply.

Students admitted to the Naval Academy are on full scholarship and graduate after four years with a Bachelor of Science degree in one of 23 majors. They receive military training along with their academic schooling and serve at least five years as commissioned officers in the U.S. Navy or Marine Corps.

Baratta will return to West for his senior year, where he competes as a soccer goalie and member of the track team.

Baratta is the son of Peggy and Tony Baratta of Tracy and brother of Zach Baratta, a student at CSU Stanislaus, and Shelby Baratta, a second-grader.

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